THE LIVERPOOL ADVERSE EVENTS PROFILE (LAEP) REFLECTS ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION RATHER THAN ANTI-EPILEPTIC DRUG SIDE-EFFECTS IN INDIVIDUAL PATIENTS
Abstract number :
1.330
Submission category :
Year :
2004
Submission ID :
4358
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/2/2004 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Dec 1, 2004, 06:00 AM
Authors :
1,4,5Rosemary J. Panelli, 1Susan Moore, 2Christine Kilpatrick, 2Zelko Matkovic, 3Wendyl D[apos]Souza, and 2,3,4Terence O[apos]Brien
The Liverpool Adverse Events Profile (LAEP) was designed to quantify subjective patient reports of side-effects to anti-epileptic drug (AED) treatment. More recently LAEP has been proposed as a tool to assist clinicians in the recognition and management of these side effects. This prospective study investigated LAEP with First Seizure Clinic patients. Patients presenting to two First Seizure Clinics for investigation following a possible seizure were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study of psychosocial and clinical outcomes. A self-administered questionnaire, including the LAEP and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), was completed at baseline and at 3 months, regardless of diagnosis. Of 201 patients who completed the baseline questionnaire, 142 were diagnosed as having had one or more seizures. Of those seizure patients 31 were already prescribed AEDs when they completed the questionnaire. There were no significant differences in the mean LAEP scores at baseline between seizure patients taking AEDs (n=31, mean=38.91), seizure patients not taking AEDs (n=111, mean=37.61) and non-seizure patients (n=59, mean=37.91) ( p[gt]0.05).
Of the 111 patients who completed the 3-month questionnaire, 77 were seizure patients and 42 of these were prescribed AEDs (26 had been started after the baseline questionnaire). Again, there were no significant differences in the LAEP scores between the three groupings (seizure + AEDs, n=42, mean=38.94), (seizure + no AEDs, n=35 ,mean=36.33), (non-seizure, n=34, mean=36.31), (p[gt]0.05).
There were no statistically significant changes in the LAEP scores from baseline to 3 months in any of the groupings (p[gt]0.05).
LAEP scores for all patients correlated strongly with HADS anxiety and depression scores at baseline (anxiety: r=0.72, p[lt]0.001; depression: r=0.61, p[lt]0.001) and 3 months (anxiety: r=0.83, p[lt]0.001; depression: r=0.70, p[lt]0.001). The data indicates that LAEP scores reflect levels of anxiety and/or depression in patients rather than the side-effects of AEDs. We would question the use of summed LAEP scores as a tool to quantify and manage AED side-effects in individual patients in clinical practice. (Supported by Australian Research Council; Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria)